Imagine being a sixth-round NFL wide receiver, bouncing on and off the practice squad of the team that drafted you, and finally finding enough of a niche to rack up over 100 yards and a touchdown in a playoff game.
Sounds pretty crazy right? Well, now imagine achieving that last feat with a fractured foot…
That’s exactly the story of Giants wideout Isaiah Hodgins. The youngster, in the midst of an impressive late-season stretch as part of an improbable playoff run, entered Big Blue’s wild card win over the Vikings with a significant injury. One that even worried his head coach.
TOUGHNESS: New York #Giants star wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins says he had a fracture in his foot the Friday before the #Vikings playoff game where he went off for 8 catches, 105 yds, and a touchdown
🤯🤯🤯😳😳😳
“If I have to run an in-cut, we gotta switch sides, I can’t plant… pic.twitter.com/9ZP8TslY3c
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) July 19, 2023
“I actually ended up having a slight fracture in my foot. It was just something that happened the Friday before the game,” Hodgins explained to the 2nd Wind Podcast. “And I thought it was just a high-ankle sprain — ankle was black and blue, Dabes [head coach Brian Daboll] was all scared…I was nervous for myself.”
“I don’t even wear ankle tape — I had so much ankle tape on, my ankle was so fat. It got to a point in the third quarter and I was telling [running back] Saquon [Barkley] that if I have to run an in-cut, we got to switch sides because I can’t plant that deep off this foot.”
All that, and one of the Giants’ better young offensive players had the game of his career. In the biggest game of the year and in the biggest spot of his career to date.
Just another reason why bringing back Hodgins, on a one-year deal worth the minimum salary, was one of the simplest decisions for general manager Joe Schoen in what’s been an intriguing offseason for the team.
Now back in the fold and a part of Daboll’s offense once again (don’t forget he was with the coach in Buffalo), Hodgins is primed to have a productive year in his first full season in East Rutherford.
